Learn more about in-home care options for your loved ones

THE TOPIC: Savage Communications, Inc., recently received a $1,271,835 grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to expand broadband in Carlton County.

BACKGROUND: The funds were awarded by DEED through the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program, which started in 2014, according to the DEED website.

The 2023 grant dollars will help 503 households and businesses in the following townships add fiber internet access: Barnum, Eagle Lake, Lakeview and Moose Lake, DEED said. Savage Communications will be able to offer broadband service up to 1 gigabit per second for downloads and 1 GBPS upload speeds when the more than $2.5 million project is complete.

The grant program requires a 50% local match, so SCI will contribute all but $50,000 of the $1,271,835 not covered by the grant. At its Feb. 27 meeting, the Carlton County Board of Commissioners approved using $50,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to put toward the local match if the project received grant funding.

Funding at the state level was allocated by the Minnesota Legislature. The state contributed $25 million in general revenue funding and $42 million through the American Rescue Plan Act for the 2023 grant cycle, said Bree Maki, executive director of the DEED Office of Broadband Development.

The state's statutory goal is to have homes and businesses statewide able to connect to broadband with download speeds of 100 megabits per second and upload speeds of 20 MBPS or better by 2026, she said.

The download and upload speeds included in the SCI project exceed that standard.

"The broadband speeds that Savage Communications has committed to — 1 GBPS download and 1 GBPS upload — well exceed the 2026 statutory goals. That's always a positive thing to see in our grant applications," Maki said.

In a news release, House District 11A Rep. Jeff Dotseth, R-Kettle River, said there is still more work to be done expanding broadband access, but the grant funding will help fill the gap.

“While most people have come to expect reliable and affordable internet connections to be readily available, parts of our state remain at a disadvantage in that regard, including right here in Carlton County,” Dotseth said. “There are still gaps in coverage in our area that need to be addressed, and this grant will put many residents and businesses in the county on equal footing with other parts of the state and the world.”

This is not the first grant Carlton County projects have received from the program.

DEED records show Cromwell and Kettle River were the target of 2017 project led by Frontier Communications. The state awarded a $569,059 grant; the project's total cost was more than $1.1 million.

In 2019, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa received $602,916 in funding for its Big Lake Road Project, which had a total cost of more than $1.2 million.

Mediacom received a grant totaling $801,834 in 2022 for a project targeting the eastern portion of Scanlon. The project's total cost was over $2.7 million, according to DEED records.

WHAT'S NEXT: Terms of the grant award dictate the project should be complete in two years, Maki said. However, the timeline can be extended if weather causes delays.

"We do know that living in Minnesota, weather is unpredictable — we can’t do projects when ground is frozen, necessarily, and other factors, so we certainly will work with providers to make sure they are able to complete the projects in a timely timeframe, but also having some flexibility and understanding that we don’t have control of everything that allows for active construction," Maki said.

The Legislature appropriated $100 million over the next biennium for the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant program. Maki said the office plans to award $50 million in grants this fall and another $50 million in 2024.

The Deep Dive is a monthly feature produced by Cloquet Pine Journal staff. Have an idea for a topic you want us to dive into? Email [email protected].

Savage Liquors Operation Manager Brenda Visnovec has seen a lot during her nearly four-decade career, including a major policy change in 2017 when off-sale Sunday liquor sales became legal in Minnesota.

But she never expected to have a conversation about selling THC products in a municipal liquor store.

That conversation took place June 12 with the Savage City Council, which then directed the administration to move forward with selling THC beverages at the city owned stores, after the city approves a licensing mechanism.

- Advertisement -

“This is by far the biggest change in regulation I’ve seen in 40 years,” Visnovec said.

The decision came after the state passed legislation that will allow liquor stores to sell hemp-derived THC edibles and beverages, which had become federally legal in 2018 under the Farm Bill. Last year, the state passed legislation that outlined the rules for Minnesota, including dosage and packaging limits.

One of the reasons Visnovec said the city should be in the THC businesses is the strict standards the employees have.

“We are better suited than most retailers to sell a controlled substance because we already have the practice of doing so and we have a higher level of training than most retailers do,” Visnovec said.

For now, Visnovec said the city will only be selling hemp-derived THC carbonated beverages and not edibles – which have become widely popular at bars, restaurants and other businesses since last July.

Asked if there has been any decisions on what kind of seltzers, sodas, or other types of beverages the municipal liquor store may be selling, Visnovec said no decision has been made but that there are plenty of options.

Despite being the biggest change she’s seen in her career, Visnovec said she is in support of the city getting into the THC business. “I believe we should be selling it,” Visnovec said, saying sales will be profitable.

Visnovec noted there still won’t be any food at the liquor stores still – unless it’s used to make a cocktail. “We can’t sell potato chips but we can sell THC products,” she said.

Also during the June 12 work session meeting, the city council directed the administration to move forward with the creation of a licensing mechanism for the so-called low potency edibles.

City Administrator Brad Larson on June 13 said a proposal is likely to go in front of the council on July 12, along with a recommendation for zoning.

Larson said the recommendation would then go to the Planning Commission for the commission to weigh in on the zoning aspect.

It’s expected the final vote by the council will be sometime in August. The city currently has a moratorium in place for the low-potency edibles until Sept.19.

ROSEVILLE, Minn. -- Minnesota's lucky streak continues as the fifth $50,000 Powerball prize was won in Minnesota this week.

The fifth winning ticket was sold at a Kwik Trip in Savage, Minnesota. The other four winning tickets were won on July 8, and sold at:

The winning Powerball numbers that were drawn on Monday are 2-24-34-53-58 with the Powerball number being 13.

The Powerball jackpot for Wednesday's drawing is estimated to be near $750 million due to higher-than-expected ticket sales.

Since 1990, the lottery has generated more than $3.7 billion that fund programs around the state of Minnesota.

More than $1.5 billion has gone to help preserve, restore, and protect Minnesota's environment through the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, Game and Fish Fund, and the Natural Resources Fund.

Another $2 billion has gone to funding education, public safety, and health and human services programs.

If you want to try your luck for the jackpot, you'll need to purchase a ticket by 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

WCCO Staff

The WCCO Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on WCCO.com.

Twitter Facebook Instagram

Editor’s note: “Just Sold” is a Finance & Commerce feature based on the newest certificates of real estate value filed with the Minnesota Department of Revenue for commercial sales throughout Minnesota and reports of sales across the country involving local parties. Research includes company and broker documents, online real estate listings, F&C archives, Catalyst and other research.

The certificate of real estate value wasn’t available Friday, but leaders at Excelsior-based Water Street Partners have announced they’ve closed on the purchase of an industrial/office building in Savage for $5.25 million, with a new unnamed tenant almost ready to pick up the keys.

The sale includes a 45,000-square-foot building, developed in 2017 on 2.89 acres at 8925 Highway 101 Frontage Road. The price works out to $116.67 per square foot.

WSP managing partners Joe Boone and Jim Hegedus are working with an undisclosed tenant to lease the entire building.

Over at the local office of Colliers, Joe Owen, senior vice president, and Corbin Chapman, senior associate, are working with the seller, Trend Lab, to relocate to a smaller, undisclosed space in the Shakopee area.

WSP also is working on the acquisition of an additional asset, which will bring Water Street Fund II LLC close to fully invested.

“This is a perfect value-add opportunity for our fund and our investors in that we were able to secure a tenant prior to closing, which significantly reduces the risks of acquiring a vacant building,” said Joe Boone, WSP managing partner, in a prepared statement. In an interview, he said that the soaring cost of new construction has created demand among tenants for available quality properties.

Water Street Fund II LLC is a closed-end, discretionary real estate fund targeting commercial and multifamily investments in the Minneapolis-St. Paul and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, markets. WSP expects to acquire five to seven investments on behalf of the fund over the next two years. Typical investments will be value-add properties requiring total capitalization of between $5 million and $15 million. It is a sister company to Excelsior-based Oppidan.

Place: 8925 Highway 101 Frontage Road, Savage

Price: $5,250,000; $116.67 per square foot

Buyer: Water Street Partners, Excelsior

Seller: Sampson Commercial Properties LLC, Prior Lake

Date: 11-17-22

St. Paul warehouse draws $5.5M

A local user has paid the full list price of $5.525 million for a 18,260-square-foot office warehouse complex at 108 Arlington Ave. E., St. Paul.

Holm Leonard Properties LLC of St. Paul closed Oct. 31 on the acquisition from RLR Inc. of North St. Paul. The price includes an $885,366 down payment and new mortgage. The price works out to $302.57 per square foot.

The 5.03-acre property lies on the south side of Arlington Avenue East, just west of Interstate 35E. It was developed originally in 1999 and today has three one-story buildings and outdoor storage, including salvage yard space.

Chris Weirans and Nick Streine of the Cushman Wakefield office in Bloomington listed the property in May. Jay Chmieleski, senior managing director of the Minneapolis-St. Paul office of Newmark represented the buyer. The sale agreement allows the seller to lease for up to three months.

Place: 108 Arlington St. E., St. Paul

Price: $5,525,000; $885,366 down payment; new mortgage; $302.57 per square foot

Buyer: Holm Leonard Properties, LLC

Seller: RLR Inc., North St. Paul

Date: 10-31-22

Download CRV

SAVAGE, Minnesota — If you're having a meal at Hamilton Ridge Elementary in Savage, your first choice is going to be vegetables.

While the location of healthier options in the lunch line is part of the reason, it's also because the Prior Lake-Savage School District uses lunchtime as a learning opportunity.

One of the first lessons: tasting the rainbow isn't just for Skittles.

"So I read a book, and it said, like eat the rainbow so you can like kind of, it's not like eating a bunch of junk food in every color. You can try to, like, maybe eat a bunch of fruits and vegetables in a bunch of different colors," said Mackenzie Varpness, a 5th-grade student at Hamilton Ridge.

Kids in summer programs can join the Garden Club where they learn the ins and out's of "Farm to Lunch Table."

They're then equipped with the knowledge to share how fueling up on these healthy foods can help in school.

"It kind of comes to you quicker because like, you're more focused on that once you're healthier and stuff," said Gabrielle Morrissey, a 4th-grader. "Like, I can just go on with the day more."

"Like you feel better," added Hailey Demars, also in 5th grade.

But of course, there are going to be some naysayers. What elementary school wouldn't have them? That's why there's "Try It Tuesday."

"Every Tuesday, they have a like something new that kids might not ever have, or they just make it, so it's you can have it, it's like a 'try it,'" said Demars.

Radishes made the "Try It" list and a new favorite of the kids we spoke with: microgreens. "They're like pea pods, but like when they just sprout," explained Arden Welter, 4th grade.

The school also uses different cooking techniques and spices to amplify the flavor profile of the vegetables, making them more palatable for the students.

While peer pressure is usually something to be avoided, the district thinks kids can make healthier choices when you apply that pressure in the lunchroom. "I think that it's good for students to eat school meals because there's a little bit of that positive peer pressure where if you know your friends are all eating a new vegetable, then maybe you're a little more inclined to try it. Because it doesn't seem that scary if you're watching everybody else eat it and saying that it's good, then maybe you're inclined to try it," said Emily Malone, director of child nutrition for Prior-Lake Savage Area Schools.

She's also upping the education factor with the "Know Your Farmer" initiative. "We have right on the edge of Prior Lake Savage area schools there's a lot of agriculture. So we have a lot of partners that will drop products that they picked this morning."

Some of our farmers come into the cafeterias to discuss growing their foods. The hope is that the mealtime lessons will turn into lifelong eating habits.

Do you know someone making a difference, or is there a business or nonprofit going above and beyond to help others? Send us your ideas for stories of "Communities that KARE" in the form below:

Watch more Communities that KARE:

Watch all of the latest stories from Communities that KARE in our YouTube playlist: